Creamy (No Cream!) Sweet Corn and Potato Chowder is thick and creamy, gluten free chowder that's made with zero heavy cream!
Creamy (No Cream!) Sweet Corn and Potato Chowder is a revelation. It’s unbelievably thick and creamy, as any good chowder should be, but guess what? It’s thickened with ZERO flour and contains ZERO cream. What makes it thick and creamy?
CAULIFLOWER!
I’ll stop shouting now.
Seriously though, the base of this chowder is made from cauliflower simmered in chicken broth then blended with milk, salt, and broth until it’s the texture of thick, whipped velvet. No flour or cream needed. Think alfredo sauce without the oof.
YES!
The sauce is combined with frozen hash browns and sweet corn then simmered until everything is tender. Oh, there’s bacon involved too. Can’t have chowder without bacon.
Go ahead and have seconds or thirds of this guilt-free, satisfying chowder!
Start by making the creamy cauliflower sauce.
Bring 5 cups chicken broth to a boil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot then add 6 cups cauliflower florets. Place a lid on top then cook until fork tender. Make sure not to overcook the cauliflower or the sauce can end up grainy.
Meanwhile, peel and mince (or press) 3 garlic cloves then saute in 1 Tablespoon butter until golden brown. You can make this recipe dairy-free by sauteing the garlic in extra virgin olive oil instead.
Add the cooked cauliflower plus 4 cups of the cooking broth into a blender along with the garlic butter. Save the remaining cup of broth as we’ll use that in a bit.
Next add 1/2 cup milk to the blender (use whatever you’ve got on hand, including an unflavored milk alternative if you want to make it dairy-free,) along with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Pop the top on the blender blend until the sauce is very, very smooth. If you have a small blender you’ll want to do this in two batches.
Insanely creamy without the cream!
Set the cauliflower sauce aside for a bit while you saute 6 slices chopped bacon in the same pot until browned. Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain then remove all but 2 teaspoons bacon fat from the pot.
Add 1 chopped carrot, 1 chopped celery stalk, and 1 chopped shallot, season with salt and pepper, then saute until the veggies are tender, 8-10 minutes.
Add the cauliflower sauce plus the reserved cup of chicken broth.
plus 4 cups frozen hash browns (no need to thaw.) Place a lid on top of the pot then turn the heat up to medium-high and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
Finally, add 2 cups frozen sweet corn and cook until heated through.
Stir the cooked bacon back in, taste and add salt and pepper if necessary, then ladle, serve, and marvel over the fact that you achieved chowder nirvana with CAULIFLOWER!
Creamy and thick with pops of salty bacon, sweet corn, and satisfying potato. Hope you love this as much as I do!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 6 cups cauliflower florets
- 1 Tablespoon butter or extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1/2 cup milk, any kind
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 small carrot, finely chopped
- 1 rib celery, finely chopped
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- salt and pepper
- 4 cups frozen shredded hash browns
- 2 cups sweet corn kernels, fresh or frozen
Directions
- Bring chicken broth to a boil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot then add cauliflower. Place a lid on top then cook until cauliflower is fork-tender (don't overcook.) Meanwhile, melt butter or extra virgin olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat then add garlic and saute until golden brown, 1 minute.
- Carefully transfer cooked cauliflower and 4 cups chicken broth, reserving remaining cup broth, to a blender (may need to do two batches if blender is small) then add garlic butter, milk, and salt. Blend until very smooth, 1-2 minutes, then set aside.
- In the same soup pot, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain then remove all but 2 teaspoons bacon grease from the pot. Add carrots, celery, and shallots, season with salt and pepper, and then saute until tender, 8-10 minutes.
- Add cauliflower sauce, reserved cup of broth, and hash browns to the pot then place a lid on top, turn heat up to medium-high, bring chowder to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, 8-10 minutes. Add sweet corn then cook until warmed through. Stir cooked bacon into chowder then ladle into bowls.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
I don’t like some brands of those frozen hash browns. They have a lot of added fat for people who want to cook them in a pan. I prefer brands like “simply shreds” (that are refrigerated not frozen) and have no added fat.
I will use bacon sparingly, but don’t like to add other sources of fat to my soup.
I am going to save this recipe and make it soon! I will probably add a little more onion and a little red pepper and cut up some baked potatoes instead of the bag of hash browns.
What a great way to cut out the cream, love this recipe.
Wow seriously drooling over here. One of the man reasons I don’t like to make potato soup or corn chowder is the cream. Can’t wait to try this little trick, seriously amazing! Pinned!
Could you use the shredded type hash browns instead of the chunk type? Love love love the idea of cauliflower! Extra veggies plus no cream equals genius!
Very nice way of thickening soup and since you briefly mentioned it, I think I’m going to have to try the cauliflower technique to make an Alfredo sauce. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe.
LOVE that you used cauliflower as the cream base – so clever!
I’m soooooo, sooooooo happy you added how to make this lactose free! I’m lactose intolerant and you made my day/night by adding that info! Thank you!
I’d also like to add that I’m totally jealous that you have a Blendtec! I’ve wanted one for years and have been able to afford one! My crappy blender can’t crush diddly…especially ice! You’re lucky!
Anytime is soup time! Yummy!
I absolutely love this; it’s already pinned and on my list of things to try! I’ve made mashed cauliflower and have had cauliflower crust pizza, but this is new to me. Thanks for sharing, Kristin! Oh, and it’s never too warm for soup in my opinion…although I’ll take warmer weather whenever it wants to show up. :)
Looks tasty but I’m sitting outside in shorts at 5pm enjoying mid 70s here in Scottsdale, so it may be too warm to enjoy chowder. Sorry…but not really because it’s freaking awesome here. I still might try it because it looks DELISH.
But Kale? Over-hyped, over-done and so over-it.
Made this tonight and it was awesome! I couldn’t resist adding a little cheese but it was super good without it too.
Kristin, Thanks for sharing! I love a good chowder, especially one that is lightened up! Does the epic run mean the medical issues are resolved and you’re back to working out? I hope so!
I really like corn chowder, and potato soup, but I’ve never had a corn and potato chowder before. It looks really good. The cauliflower sauce sounds interesting. I’ve heard of others using it before, but I’ve yet to try it myself. I might have to now that I’ve seen this recipe.